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by Suryaa |
When a physician wants to assess the progression of colon cancer in one of his patients he or she uses a method called staging. This method is to find out how the tumor (colon cancer) has spread to other parts of the patient's body. Once doctors find out what stage the colon cancer is at, they will offer the best action or treatment.
The system most commonly used for the staging process of colon cancer at this time is called the TNM staging system. This system used for staging keeps patients in one of four stages.
First step:
Stage 1 - Carcinoma is also known as in situ or colorectal cancer. Colon cancer at this stage is found in the lining of the colon.
Stage 2 - At this stage the colon cancer has already started to spread. But the cancer is still in the lining of the rectum or colon. At this stage the colon cancer has not yet reached the outer walls of the colon. It is also known as Duke A or colorectal cancer.
Second step:
At this stage the colon cancer spreads more deeply into or through the colon or rectum. Perhaps colon cancer may have affected other tissues as well. At this stage the colon cancer has not reached the lymph nodes (bean-sized structures are found all over the body, which helps the body fight off all kinds of infections and diseases, also known as duke B or colorectal cancer.)
Third Step :
When you are at this stage the colon cancer has now spread to the lymph nodes, although it has not spread to nearby parts of the body. This is also known as Duke C or colorectal cancer.
Fourth step:
At this stage the colon cancer has spread to other nearby tissues through the lymphatic system. This is commonly called metastasis. The most affected organs are the lungs and liver. This is also known as Duke D or colorectal cancer.
Recurrent colon cancer or cancer cells
When doctors talk about recurrent colon cancer, it means that already treated cancer cells have returned. These cancer cells may have returned as colorectal cancer but they may also return to other parts of the body. So we hope that by consulting a doctor as soon as you suspect that you have colon cancer you will find out if you have that problem as well as if it is at any stage and try to reduce it quickly.
